With patch v66, ARK: Survival Ascended takes a significant step forward: The migration to Unreal Engine 5.5 improves the technical foundation for better performance, stability, and visual quality. Individual DLC maps can now be installed or removed separately – a plus for storage and mod management. Also new is the cross-platform backup system for single-player, which allows for automatic backups, as well as a performance-optimized graphics preset on PC that prioritizes framerate over graphics.
ARK: Survival Ascended – Unreal Engine 5.5, Ragnarok, and new creature delayed until June
Studio Wildcard has introduced the upcoming content for ARK: Survival Ascended and confirmed that there will be expected delays: The Unreal Engine 5.5 upgrade, originally scheduled for May, will now be released on June 2. The release of the popular map Ragnarok Ascended has been postponed to June 18.
This month, the focus is on three central elements:
Ragnarok is one of the most popular community maps from ARK: Survival Evolved and is now making its comeback in ASA. The map has been completely redeveloped in Unreal Engine 5.5 and will only be released with the engine upgrade. Due to the technical transition, the release was delayed, but the team has now confirmed June 2, 2025, as the final date.
In ARK: Survival Ascended, there have been a variety of new creatures in recent months – from insects, birds, and mammals to more exotic species. Now there is exciting news for all fans of prehistoric animals: the well-known modder Garuga has officially joined the development team at Studio Wildcard. As the new Creature Designer, he will work on the implementation of new creatures – including several dinosaurs based on real-life counterparts that will expand the game with exciting variants.
Next week, the Eggcellent Adventure is jumping into ARK with full force! Get ready for pastel-colored chaos, oversized ears, and more eggs than in a Dodo daycare.
Do you want to activate the event on your private server? No problem – just add the following mod ID to the launch parameters: -mods=877745
. No further adjustments are necessary – the event should be automatically active afterwards.
Survivors, keep your paws still – Wildcard revealed a furry surprise on April 1st in the current Community Crunch 452: Cats are coming to the game! Whether you see them as chaotic goblins or furry little rascals – no one is surprised that cats have also survived the apocalypse. They are tough, clever, and apparently ready to secure a place in the ecosystem of ARK: Survival Ascended.
Deinotherium, also known as Dinotherium or "tusked elephant," belongs to the extinct group of proboscideans and was an early and very successful representative of this animal group. It lived from the Miocene to the early Pleistocene, approximately 22 million to 1 million years ago, in large parts of the Old World. Particularly later forms of this genus reached gigantic sizes and were among the largest land mammals of their time.